(...) Latvijas valsts meži (LVM) senior environmental expert Uģis Bergmanis answers questions about lesser spotted eagle monitoring – its process, significance and surprising results.
What is lesser spotted eagle monitoring?
It is a set of field and desk-based tasks that determine the development trends, or dynamics, of a specific species' population. Both the number of present pairs and nesting success rates are identified. Both parameters characterise the population.
What is the significance of this project?
The lesser spotted eagle is one of seven bird species monitored by LVM. A significant portion of the global lesser spotted eagle population nests in Latvia, so it is important to know how this species is faring at the centre of its range, which represents the most significant part of the species' global population.
The parameters characterising lesser spotted eagle populations can be used to assess the impact of key economic sectors – agriculture and forestry – on biodiversity; the lesser spotted eagle is one of the indicators of biodiversity. Alongside the monitoring of several other bird species, it is also included in a special Latvian biodiversity monitoring sub-programme.
How long has it been implemented?
The project began in 1994 in two monitoring plots – “Bukaiši” and “Murmastiene”. In 2002, a third plot, “Žūklis”, was established; in 2007, a fourth plot, “Pāle”; in 2008, a fifth, “Mazgramzda”; and in 2021, a sixth plot, “Gāguļi”. Therefore, research is currently being carried out in a total of six plots across different parts of Latvia.